Elizabeth I (1998) and Elizabeth The Golden Age (2007)

Image 1: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/476466835550031097/

Image 2: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/557531628844151799/

Image 3: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/159737118006424565/

Image 4: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/570127634049452078/

Image 5: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/494762709033394984/

These still are taken from the films Elizabeth I and Elizabeth The Golden Age which were based on the life of Elizabeth I. The hair in the films is an amazing example of the Elizabethan ideal for beautiful hair. Many people saw their queen as a style icon and copied her look from her clothes, makeup and hair. The hair in both films is a great example of the hair as the styles all have plenty of body, texture, curls, frizz and shape to them, whether that is a rounded shape or a heart shape. The hair in both of these films also are often adorned with decorations another key feature of Elizabethan hair, and they would adorn it with things like pearls, hats, crowns or jewels. The hair stylists in these films recreated really beautiful Elizabethan hairstyles.  

Initial Ideas:

Idea 1:

After completing the bridal hair challenge, I found that I really loved the visual given off by a waterfall braid and decided that I wanted to use this within my final hair design. I think it’s really modern, fashionable and because of this I was eager to include this in a hairstyle combined with Elizabethan aspects. Another aspect I wanted to include in my final design was crimped hair as I think it looks extremely Elizabethan and I adore the texture, frizz and volume that it ads to any hair. Every time I’ve used crimped hair I have loved the outcome that it had produced and I knew from the beginning that this is something that I would like to use. I was particularly inspired to use this in my final design when I found images online of the Oscar De La Renta 2012 S/S catwalk in which many of his models had frizzed hair and I thought that it looked beautiful a long side his work. After picking my two favourite aspects of styling I hair I then put them together into one design. 

I decided on having the a middle parting, almost slicked down and really straight until the tops of my ears, when a waterfall braid would section this slicked down modern look from the frizz that I wanted from the bottom of the waterfall braid down to the ends of the hair. I then wanted this crimp to be brushed out and backcombed in areas so that it really stood out against the slicked down top half of the hair and separating braid. I also wanted either a broach or necklace at the middle of my hair at the back where the braids would meet, to cover the meeting and joining point.  All of these aspects put together are the idea for my final design and the next step is to swap ideas with my partner and start testing out each other’s designs. 

Idea 2:

Even though I had already decided on the hairstyle that I wished to use for my final piece I decided to have another design that I could use, in case there were problems with my original design. This is one of the other design that I created. For this hairstyle I wanted two French plaits going down from a middle parting at either side of the face. Then when it got to just the top of the ears, it would then go into a normal plait which can be wrapped around the back of the head and meet in the middle.  With the top of the hair being well backcombed yet smooth on the top so that there is plenty of volume. Then when it gets to the plait, or just above the ear, I would like that to be crimped and then brushed out slightly and backcombed again, so that there is plenty of frizz and volume.  I feel like this design is also a modern twist on old hairstyles and even though I really like this design I won’t use it for my final design as I prefer my first design by far and feel like that is the best contemporary take on an Elizabethan inspired hairstyle that I could create. 

Practice of the waterfall braid:

After the technical lesson I decided that I needed to practice creating a waterfall braid more and went home and recreated the braid on my Katie head. I found that after a few attempts that I had managed to grasp how to create this braid and as I started it again and again the results became much better and it was a more uniform look, with each braid looking more and more similar. To create this braid I used the same process as during the bridal hairstyle technical session. I was very happy with these outcomes and I feel comfortable recreating this look on other people now. 

Inspiration for my hair design:

1. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/322218548314250729/

2. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/480900066432806059/

3. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/321796335849003108/

4. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/304837468506275036/

5. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/529243393687107835/

6. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/332281278732553421/

7. https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/304837468506697449/

I find that looking at images online often helps me come up with my own ideas and I went to my favourite website and app Pinterest and found lots of inspiration. There were variations of other people’s ideas and interpretations of Elizabethan hairstyles and many of them have helped me to form some of my own ideas. For example I find that the images where they have used lots of frizzy hair are my favourites and I love that look. In my opinion it comes across as a fantasy hairstyle and is quite dreamy and is something that id quite like to re-create myself. I also love the looks in which they have used intricate plaits and multiple braids however I’m not sure how I could change these so that they look more contemporary and less traditional. I feel that using this and creating a mood board of images has been really useful in inspiring me and has definitely given me some ideas that I’d like to try and figure out whether they work and how they may look together. 

Bridal Hairstyle Practical

When we were first given the brief I began by collecting a variety of images from Pinterest and other image sites and searched for wedding hairstyles. I found a number of hairstyles that I liked and was interested in testing out. Some fit the brief perfectly and contained curls and a plait or up do of some sort where as some only contained certain aspects of the brief.

Here are the images I worked from: 

All images can be found under these tags: //uk.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=bridal+hairstyles+half+up+half+down+braid&term_meta%5B%5D=braid%7Cguide%7Cword%7C4&add_refine=braid%7Cguide%7Cword%7C4

I decided to take inspiration from a few of the images and create loose waves and have a waterfall braid coming from either side of the parting on my partner and then meeting at the back of her head. 

Process:

• I began by sectioning my partner’s hair into small thinner sections so that it would make curling a lot easier and quicker. Starting from the bottom and making my way up through her hair. 
• Once all of my partner’s hair had been curled with the curling iron I began with my braid.
• To create the braid I started with two small sections from the front of her head.
• Then I began the first step of a French plait however when going to take in the third piece of hair I picked up one small section, of a similar size to the two pieces I was already using, and then once it had been looped into the plait I let go of it. 
• Then twisted the original two pieces in the style of a plait again and then taking another small section of hair and then dropping it again.
• I followed this routine to the centre of my partners head and then repeated this on the other side. 
• I gripped the ends of both plaits into place using hair grips. 

Final Outcome:

Evaluation:

Overall I was quite impressed with this hairstyle as I haven’t previously attempted a waterfall braid on hair before and I was excited to try it out. I had difficulty using the curling iron when curling though as I am used to using a curling wand and found that I often got kinks in the hair when using the iron. This gave the hair an unusual look in my opinion however I know that when I do it again I will be sure to use my own curling wand as I amused to it and know how to work it correctly. I then tried the waterfall braid technique and found it came quite easily with the curls in the hair and the curls actually helped with the sections. I thought it looked quite good at first however when I went through to try and fix the curls it caused one side of the hair and that side of the waterfall braid to slip slightly and I feel it ruined its overall appearance. I think in future I know how I would do it differently for example I would use my own curling wand as I prefer the curled results so much more than using the irons. I would also make sure that I didn’t have to make any adjustments after the braid was complete as this ruined its overall look when I tried to adjust the curls. I would also change it by including an adornment such as flowers or jewellery to add an extra element to the style and cover the hair grips that I used to place the braids. I feel like this would complete the look and bring it all together into one complete style. In general I was quite impressed with the look and I k now that with more practice I can improve this look vastly. 

Elizabethan hairstyle on a partner:

For this hairstyle I decided to crimp the front of my partner’s hair, backcomb it and then shape it using a hair rat. Then with the back of her hair I decided to create a twist bun. 

The Back

The Front and Sides

Evaluation:

Overall I was quite impressed with how this hairstyle turned out as I have never styled anyone’s hair before, other than my own and the manikin doll. At first I was scared to bring the crimpers too close to my partners scalp and burn her, however as I got more confident with them I was able to get much closer to the root and without hurting my partner. Another aspect of this I found difficult was working with the uneven lengths of hair, as many people have layers in their hair, unlike the manikins head which is relatively even throughout. However I think as I get more used to working on with a partner it will become easier for me and I will be more comfortable with using heat and teasing their hair without hurting them. When thinking about the overall appearance of the hairstyle I was quite happy as this is my first attempt at styling a person’s hair and I feel it went quite well. I was also surprised at how quickly I managed to create this look, as it only took me an hour to create it, however I believe that this may be due to its simplicity. I hope that as I grow with confidence with styling a person’s hair that I also grow in confidence with my designs and that they possibly become more extravagant as the course continues. 

National Portrait Gallery 

Queen Elizabeth I, by an unknown English artist. 

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw02070/Queen-Elizabeth-I

Queen Elizabeth I, by an unknown continental artist.

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw02075/Queen-Elizabeth-I?locid=4&rNo=7

 Mary Queen of Scots.

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw04273/Mary-Queen-of-Scots?locid=4&rNo=9

Anne, Lady Pope with her children, by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw69849/Anne-Lady-Pope-with-her-children?locid=4&rNo=15

During a recent trip to the National Portrait Gallery I made note of the different hairstyles I saw in portraits created during the Elizabethan era. As expected the styles were flamboyant, with what appeared to be lots of texture coming from frizz and curls, beautiful red colours and a range of adornments in their hair. These are all things I perceive to be iconic of the period, with many taking their style inspiration from the queen and her iconic red, curled hair. If I were to recreate a traditional Elizabethan style I would use these portraits as a base inspiration and work from these, looking at the shapes and textures that are visible in them. This would help create an authentic Elizabethan style.